I attended a program recently, where a speaker l held a session and talked about the depreciation of humans in this generation and how technology is leading this generation. He talked about how everyone is now embedded in social media, AI, and technology in general, and how they have less time to develop themselves.
I pondered on it and on how he said people can easily stand out in this generation where everyone seems to be less developing and stagnant in mediocrity. I didn’t accept it at first, I believed people stand out more these days.
But honestly, when I look around, I see how many have neglected self development. They just strive to do what is necessary and nothing more, or they have their lives hanging on technology. Basically, humans are now dependent on technology. Although, there are some exceptions to this, statistically it is not impressive.
I didn’t live in the former era, so I guess I might be a little biased, because knowledge is surely different from experience. And what I do know is that a hundred years ago, people were more self developed because they barely had things to depend on other than themselves.
But that is not all there is to technology. Technology has also made life easier, many tasks that would take time to accomplish are now completed in less time. It is an easier life, and to be for real, who wants a hard life?
I believe that the blend of the right use of technology is one of the optimal ways of human living. It balances things out perfectly, with no overuse of technology by humans.
This technology era shouldn’t be a problem, but our reaction and dependency on technology makes it an issue.
Freedom is one of the good things that has happened to this era. We see more societal development even though there is also societal depreciation. As a woman, I don’t think I would want to live a hundred years ago; an era where my value would be diminished, my voice would be lost, and opportunities would be more limited.
There are also so much opportunities now: more job creation, more diversity, more knowledge, more information and better healthcare systems. Disease that killed thousands can now be prevented and treated.
The lifestyle of the olden era is something to be admired, especially their nutritional health. Food in those days was less contaminated, less cancerous, and less unhealthy than what we have today. There was less pollution, less contaminated air, less environmental degradation and fewer chemicals.
Also, the serenity and simple living of the ancestors pleases me. I believe there were fewer mental health issues like depression, suicidal thoughts, addictions and social media pressure. Back then, there were stronger community bonds, and people lived more in the present, which is beautiful.
Although we can’t say both eras were perfect because each had its downside, but I believe the good things from the olden days can still be practiced today, many of the things we have now could not have existed then. We can adapt and create a good balance between both worlds.
So, I think we are living the best era, but we are not making the best of this era. And yes, I wouldn’t wish to be born a hundred years ago.